ERIC FOR ETERNITY
by Desktop Dragon
Summary: *ONE SHOT* (Originally posted in 2018) Following Eric's journey from human to vampire and through his eyes seeing how dealt with the hand that fate gave him. I DO NOT OWN THE SOUTHERN VAMPIRE MYSTERIES OR ITS CHARACTERS.


**Authors Note: Originally posted on the site in May 2018**

**This short one shot story has been given a complete overhaul, hopefully removing all typo's and errors I missed the first time around, the main story remains intact and has not been altered.**

**This very short 'One-shot' story very nearly never saw the light of day it started life as an expansion on the 'One-shot' story '**_**Till The End of Time'**_** that I wrote and many people contacted me asking me to expand on it. I tried and yet I just couldn't make it work, so I took what I had written and was going to delete it, but every time I did that, something stopped me and I ended up re-writing bits and adding a bit more and it evolved into a short ditty about how Eric became a vampire and how it affected him and how he came to finally accept what he was. I still wasn't totally happy with it and spent more time debating whether or not to just delete it and forget I ever bothered or bite the bullet and post it and in the end I chose the latter. So, I hope I made the correct decision. Enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN THE SOUTHERN VAMPIRE STORIES OR ITS CHARACTERS BY CHARLAINE HARRIS**

**ERIC, FOR ETERNITY **

"Arik be reasonable, you know it makes sense, your brother is dead."

I stare at my father feelings of disgust warring within me, yes, I know full well that my brother is dead I saw him die on the last raid we embarked on, but am I sad... no I'm not, it is one of those things, there is always the possibility that when we go raiding we won't come back but apart from that basic fact, I am not grief stricken because I despised my brother with every fibre of my being, he was a monster, that is not an opinion I will ever share with anyone else but ever since we were children he had this way about him, he was cruel and he had no empathy for others, in short he wasn't right, and if that also makes me a monster to think that then so be it.

I stare at my father, he now wants me to take Leif's wife as my own, the young beautiful girl who Leif was practically thrown at so that we would have links to a neighbouring village, and now that Leif is dead my father wants to maintain that link and the benefits it brings him as chief of our village. That would be no hardship to me, Aude is a wonderful woman and I always believed she was far too good for Leif and if I am totally honest I have harboured certain feelings of affection towards her from the first moment I first saw her.

"Don't worry father I will do it" I say quietly, I watch him carefully awaiting his reaction.

The look of relief on my father's face is laughable; he cares little for Aude and what would be best for her, he just wants what is best for him and at this moment that is to keep the link with Aude's family alive now that my brother and his heir is dead. He doesn't give a damn for what I want or for Aude's feelings on this. But being the dutiful son I am I will obey and do my duty.

"You are a good son Arik and you always make me proud" my father says with more than a hint of relief in his voice. He reaches down and retrieves the weapon leaning beside him, he hands me a sword and smiles. I recognise it immediately as Leif's and I take it with a nod of acknowledgement and understanding, just like that I have been promoted, my status within the family has been elevated, I have replaced my brother and just like that I am now the eldest son and heir, the great hope for the future of the family, rather than simply one of the spare sons who also survived to adulthood. I turn and leave my father's hut without another word.

As I enter my brother's hut I see Aude, she is sitting by the hearth and she has her arms wrapped around herself, and she is staring into the flames.

"Aude" I say quietly.

She lifts her head and looks at me, her face is pale but yet she does not appear to be grief stricken.

"So it is true, Leif is dead" she says quietly, as her eyes dart to the weapon I am carrying, she clearly recognises the sword I am holding.

I nod and take a step towards her, I carefully lay down the sword and take a deep breath before I speak, "I realise you must be grieving your husband but I will take care of you Aude, you will marry me and become my wife, I promise you I will make you a good husband" I pause waiting for her reaction to this news, there is a silence for a few moments and I wait it out.

When her reaction eventually comes I am shocked as it wasn't what I was expecting. A harsh laugh erupts from Aude's mouth.

"I'm not sad Leif is dead, I am overjoyed, that must make me a bad person, but I hated him" she says with a bite of bitterness to her tone.

I take another step towards her and she at looks me fearfully and yet I also see a hint of defiance there as she stands up and watches me nervously, as I take another step towards her she takes a step back, it hits me that she is afraid of me, her breathing is increasing coming out in shallow rapid bursts, I immediately stop, holding my hands up in sign of surrender and I try and reassure her.

"I won't hurt you Aude" I whisper to her, I wait for her response and I watch her relax slightly and she runs her hand over her swollen stomach and she thinks about what I have just said.

Eventually she makes eye contact with me and seems to come to some decision and speaks, "No, I don't believe you will" she says.

"I will take care of you and the baby" I say as I take another tentative step towards her and reach for her and repeat the vow I have just made to her, "Aude, I promise you I will be a good husband and father to your child and hopefully in time we may have children of our own" I say.

I watch as she smiles sadly, "I have no doubt you will Arik, it seems the gods listened to my prayers, did you know I prayed that Leif would be killed, to release me from the hell I endured living with him? Every time he went out on a raid I actually prayed that my husband would not return, and I always wished I had been betrothed to you rather than him, I never wanted Leif to return, the longer I was with him the more I hated him, he was wicked and cruel, I prayed each time you all went raiding that he wouldn't return and I got my wish, after we married and the extent of Leif's cruel and abusive nature became apparent, and many times I wished it had been you I had married and again I now have got my wish".

I stare at her unable to believe what I am hearing, I had always believed that she was too good for Leif and I had liked her from the moment I first laid eyes on her, but I had kept it to myself and my feelings locked down, but if what I am hearing is right she wanted me. I step closer and open my arms and watch as she hesitantly steps towards me and walks into my arms.

I fold my arms around her, "you say Leif was wicked and cruel, tell me, what did he do to you?" I ask.

She snorts sadly and looks down at her stomach, "Let's just say that this child was not made with love or even tenderness" she says, and I stiffen at her words and grasping her by the shoulders I pull her away from me so I can look into her eyes.

"He forced himself on you?" I ask.

Aude nods, "yes" she whispers.

I close my eyes, I think back to all the times on the raids where Leif would always participate in the raping of the women of the villages we pillaged. It was something I could never bring myself to do along with many others and he always scorned me for it.

I pull her closer to me once more, "I give you my word I will never treat you in such a way, when we come together it will be with your consent and because you want it as much as I do" I say.

I feel her relax in my arms at my declaration and oath and I gently caress her head which is leaning against my chest.

**oooOOOooo**

The years pass and Aude and I become close, I do my duty by her and for my father and we have three surviving children, the feelings of affection I held towards her but kept concealed have blossomed since they were allowed to be free and I have grown to respect Aude beyond the affection and initial sentiments of duty, in fact it could be argued that I love her.

Initially I was careful with her and she learnt to trust me and she returned the affection I freely gave her and slowly she learnt that the physical side of our relationship was something pleasurable and not something to fear as painful or degrading. As I learnt the full extent of Leif's cruelty towards Aude I was angry and horrified, and if he wasn't already dead there would have been a very good chance that I would have killed him had I known what he had done to this sweet woman.

As she learnt to trust me and we came together physically we learnt more about each other and the things we could do to give each other pleasure. We had a fulfilling physical relationship and that side inevitably had results. Many times I went away raiding I would return to find grave or another infant. Every time we returned, Aude would wait down at the harbour for me, I would look over the side of the boat and see her waiting for me, and I would know immediately if I had another child.

On three occasions she had stood waiting for me to disembark with an infant wrapped in her shawl, waiting to introduce me to our child, but sadly more often than not she stood alone. In recent times she brought our surviving children with her to meet me, the boys would soon be old enough to join me when I went away, but for now they are all too young.

I am drawn from my thoughts as I hear that we are approaching the harbour, as we come in and dock I look over the side of the boat as is my custom and search the shoreline for my wife, a fission of worry goes through me as I don't see her familiar form, I worry even more when I see my mother standing waiting with my three young children at her side.

I waste no time in disembarking, I watch my father greet his wife with a kiss and he ruffles the hair of my children. I watch as my mother says something to him and he glances back at me, a pained expression on his face. I step closer and my children stare up at me, I pull them close crouching and greeting each one in turn.

I rise to my feet as I feel my mother's hand on my shoulder, and I look up into her face to see sadness.

"I'm so sorry Arik" she whispers.

I shake my head, "Aude?" I ask hoarsely.

"She lives, but is very weak, she gave birth yesterday, the child died an hour ago of the fever and Aude is very ill, we fear the worst" she says.

I immediately turn and run towards my home I need to see my wife, as I approach I see a woman come out of my hut and stare at me, I don't wait and rush past her, glancing briefly at body of the dead infant which is still in the crib before I make my way over to Aude.

"Aude" I say as I reach her and crouch down beside her taking her hand in mine. "Aude, I am here, I am back, speak to me" I say.

I watch as with what appears to be a great effort, she opens her eyes and turns her head towards me, she smiles weakly, her face is wet with sweat but she is deathly white. I squeeze her hand and press my lips to her fingers.

"Aude, you will live, do you hear me?" I say firmly.

I watch as she nods her head and gives me another weak smile, "I'm so tired Arik, will you take care of the children while I sleep a while?" she whispers.

I want to agree but something tells me not to let her go to sleep. As I am thinking this I watch as her gaze becomes fixed and glassy and she lets out a last breath.

"No" I whisper, "Aude, Aude" I say I feel her hand go limp in mine and I know it's over, I know that my wife has died.

**oooOOOooo**

I miss Aude terribly, but I know I need a new wife, not only is my father pushing me as he wants to make links with another chief of another nearby village but I know it is the sensible thing to do, I have three young children to care for and they need a mother.

So, I find myself walking to the village to meet this girl's father and hash out a plan agreeable to everyone for what everyone gets out of this union. Part of me doesn't have the heart to do it, but once again I am doing my duty for my family, for my children who need a mother and for my father who wants to make links with this village for the ongoing security and stability of our entire village.

I meet the girl's father and he appears to be a good man, he comments on the loss of Aude which he didn't have to and he brings his daughter to meet me. She is beautiful and she seems willing to participate in the union.

We talk for hours and drink to seal the deal, I am still grieving Aude and I do feel a sense of betrayal at what I am doing so I drink more than perhaps I should, but I know I will sober up on the walk home so it doesn't overly concern me. It is late when I finally leave the village and make the journey home.

I feel a little light headed, the mead was strong and I know I drank far too much but I know this land like the back of my hand so I am confident that I will get home safely. As I make my way I have no difficulty in seeing where I am going, the sky is clear and the moon is full and bright illuminating the snow covered landscape, making the conditions bright and easy to navigate. As I make my way down the winding lane towards my village I pause as I see something. I stop and look there is something in the road, just lying there motionless.

At first I think it some kind of animal whose life has ended at this particular point but as I get closer I see the figure is distinctly human, it is a man. I pause, there are legends about half human half beast creatures that prey on unwary travellers who travel the countryside by night and whilst I dismiss those as merely stories I wonder if this poor soul has been attacked by someone. I make my way closer the figure is totally motionless, there isn't a sign of life anywhere, he isn't even breathing so I quickly establish he clearly must be dead. I wonder who he is so I crouch down and roll the body over as I do so a number of things happen all at once, the man's eyes open and he smiles revealing a mouth unlike any other human, he has the mouth of an animal, two long fangs are protruding from his upper mouth and then with a speed which I have never seen before he reaches for me and grabs me and sinks those fangs into my neck, I try and fight but despite the creatures relatively small size his strength is immense and he holds me. I try and fight and struggle but I feel myself getting weaker and light headed as he continues to drink from me, I feel my sight getting blurry and everything starts to spin, and I feel myself falling... falling into darkness.

**oooOOOooo**

I open my eyes, I am hungry, the hunger is like nothing I have ever felt in my life before it's like a pain, the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life, it's like a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach, gnawing at me and then I hear something, it sounds like a drum a steady beat of a drum.

I look down at myself and realise I am totally naked and dirty as though I have been buried in the ground, then I look around and see a man a few feet away staring at me in fear, in the shadows is another figure standing watching me, I am shocked at how clearly I can see him, the light is dim yet I can not only make him out, I can see clearly that it is the man... creature… thing who attacked me, my attention is drawn back to the terrified man a few feet away from me, and I then I smell something, something so sweet it makes my mouth water, I take a deep breath and my stomach burns more fiercely and all at once I realise the smell is coming from the man, I move closer to investigate and the man shrinks back in fear, and I hear a whooshing sound, what the hell is this? My eyes fix on the man's neck and without another moment's hesitation I bite him, what the hell am I doing? But I can't stop, as soon as the man's blood hits my tongue I feel the need to drink and I do so, gripping the man tightly I tear at his flesh and drink his blood as he screams and struggles before eventually falling silent and lying limp in my arms.

I hear laughter from the figure in the shadows, and a moment later another man is thrown towards me, I don't hesitate and I tear open his neck and feast on his blood, which tastes like sweet nectar. When he is drained I drop the body and wipe my mouth.

"What is wrong with me?" I ask as sanity returns, and I survey the devastation of the two mutilated bodies.

The figure steps out the shadows, "Nothing is wrong with you, you are magnificent, you have risen, you are no longer human, you are now a vampire, and your instincts are good, very good, you owe your existence to me, I made you what you now are."

I stare at the man unable to believe what I am hearing, he sounds proud of what he has done, and I back away and shake my head.

"NO" I shout.

"Oh yes, you are now a vampire like me, I watched you for months, I coveted you, tried to work out how to take you, then fate was kind and you almost handed yourself to me."

I stare at him and the memory of the night on the road as I made my way home fills my head, the memory of that night and the creature who attacked me, and this creature is now telling me I am also like that, am now a monster.

I shake my head, "Why did I kill these men?" I ask.

The man steps closer, "Because your instincts recognised them as food, you are a vampire and human blood is now your food source, you don't eat, you don't drink, you feed on humans – you don't have to kill them when you feed but it was entertaining to watch."

"Who are you?" I ask.

The steps closer, "I am Appius Livius Ocella, in life I was Roman Soldier, and I am your Sire, your maker, I made you, I own you, I am your master and as such you will obey me, and in return I will teach you to survive and become as great as me."

"Appius Livius Ocella" I repeat.

I barely get the words out when in a blur the creature is on me, with a strength I cannot fathom, he backhands me making my head whip back by the force of the blow then he bends me over and to my horror I feel him thrust himself into me, my back arches and I scream out at the pain and he claps a grimy hand over my mouth.

"You do not know me well enough yet to address me by my name, I am your master, and you will address me as such, do you understand" he hisses in my ear.

I hesitate and he shakes me roughly, "I said do you understand?"

I nod and immediately another heavy blow nearly sends me unconscious, "You will say yes master" he hisses.

I stubbornly refuse to speak and the next thing he has grasped my hair yanked my head back and he thrusts into me roughly again.

"Let me hear you say it," he demands.

"Yes master," I grit out through clenched teeth.

I close my eyes as he violates me, he is grunting as he thrusts into me, I grit my teeth and for some reason my mind flies back to what Aude told me, about how Leif had treated her and violated her. Eventually after what seems like an eternity I feel him stiffen and sigh and I feel a wet sensation as he finds his release and takes his fill of me. I feel dirty and humiliated as he withdraws and pushes me to the ground.

**oooOOOooo**

_50 Years Later…_

I have been repeatedly brutalised, degraded and violated and I am now at the point of total despair, I am considering the unthinkable to end my own existence. I have fought and rebelled against my sire, 'my master' the thought of those words and that creature make the bile rise, that creature killed my humanity and made me what I now am, but I am still a Viking, that he will never take from me and as such I am master of myself and I will end this hell. I will not be his puppet I will not continue to let him have this power of me and my existence. A plan starts to form in my mind, he has told me what can kill a vampire, it appears there isn't much, decapitation and a stake to the heart will do the job for us, fire is also dangerous as we are incredibly flammable, but daylight will kill us, so my intention is to meet the sun tomorrow morning. This is going to be difficult, as a new vampire I am susceptible to daylight as dawn approaches, I feel a sensation akin to drunkenness and as the sun rises I feel all animation leave my body as my day death takes me, but not only that, but Ocella watches me and as dawn approaches, he stays close almost as though he knows what I am planning.

I take a moment to think, I am pining desperately for my family, the first thing Ocella did was move us away from my home, 'necessity' he called it, I call it hell, I can understand why in a way, my self control isn't very good when I see a human, I have this overwhelming need to attack and feed and I would never forgive myself if I harmed anyone I knew. Plus vampires are by nature very secretive creatures and living in the shadows is compulsory, so moving away from everything familiar is the only way in case we are spotted. Another wave of despair flows through me, I have gone missing, like many men and women before me, once again the stories I grew up with fill my mind, the legends and myths about monsters who hunt in the night and kill unwary travellers, but I always considered them just that, stories and superstition but I am now one of those monsters, bitterness consumes me as I remember seeing Ocella in the road the night he captured me and how I had thought about those stories then, I should have paid more attention but I didn't and this is my punishment, but I intend to end this once and for all, I will not be a monster.

I spend the night hunting with Ocella, he is teaching me to survive which I find ironic considering I am consumed with thoughts of dying, he tells me I am a natural and it fills me with no pride to hear that, it disgusts me and makes me all the more determined to put an end to this. We are also on the move again; his plan is to travel the world and to meet up with more of our kind so he can display me, make money out of me and use me. He is only now teaching me control, teaching me that killing isn't inevitable when I feed. I believe he gets some kind of perverse pleasure in watching me maul humans. I remember my desperate hunger when I first became a vampire, as the years have passed I have tried to establish my own boundaries and control, but with my superior strength I have accidentally killed more times than I care to remember. I know I have lost my humanity though, as there is a part of me now that tries to reason that I needed that blood, I wasn't responsible for what I had become, and I was only acting on instinct and that humans equal food, nothing more, and that part seems to be getting stronger by the day, so I need to end this before that coldness consumes me completely.

I wait and watch, I can feel the dawn approaching, Ocella has been unnaturally dismissive of me tonight, he normally won't let me out of his sight, but tonight he has left me alone, this gives me pause, does he know what I am planning? Is this another of his games to 'teach me a lesson', but how can it? He cannot hear my thoughts, so he has no idea what I have been planning. I move to the window and look out, the sky is lightening, I take one more look around, Ocella is nowhere to be seen, and I realise it is now or never, I open the door and with vampire speed I race out into the expanse of countryside, I will be totally exposed when the sun rises and will end this nightmare once and for all, the next thing I realise I am on my knees, a burning pain in my lower back crippling me.

"So, you decided to meet the sun," my heart sinks at the growl in my ear. I am lifted by my hair and dragged back to the small abandoned house we had been occupying. Ocella is moving swiftly to avoid being caught in the sun and I am dragged along as he is only holding me by my hair, once again I marvel at his strength, I am not a small man and he is moving effortlessly with me.

When we reach the house, he drags me unceremoniously to the light tight cellar and slams the door, then standing over me his fangs down he glares at me.

"So, you wished to meet the sun," he says, more of a statement than question and yet his eyebrows are raised as though he is asking me.

I stare at him the only thing consuming my thoughts is the burning pain in my lower back, he rolls me over and I freeze knowing what is coming next but nothing happens for a moment, then I feel something being pulled from my back, he rolls me back again and holds up a dagger.

"Do you recognise this?" he asks smirking at me.

Anger fills me and I reach out for the dagger, I had not seen since that night I was turned. He holds it out blade first and I go to grasp it but as I touch it, I yank my hand away and stare at the angry burn now covering my hand.

Ocella laughs, "A silver burn is nothing compared to the burning of the daylight, however, if you are so anxious to experience it then who am I do refuse you," he says.

I stare at the dagger which he is waving at me, "How did you know?" I stammer.

Ocella snorts, "I made you, we share a blood bond, I have known for months that you wanted to die and were planning to end yourself, I feel what you feel, I know," he says smugly.

I close my eyes then a thought occurs to me and I open them again, "If we share a bond then how do I not feel your emotions?" I ask.

I see a look of pride on his face "A very good question, I can close the bond so you do not sense me," he says, I wonder if I can also do that and how.

"I am your master, so I am able to control what I send to you through our bond, when you create your own progeny you will also be able to shield yourself from them, that is if you ever get to that point," he says.

My mind is working overtime, surely as a warrior it is best to share that link and enhance it, it could prove to be a useful tool, then I look at Ocella and realise I am much better off not knowing how this creature is feeling. He steps closer to me and drags the knife across my face; I refuse to cry out as the pain consumes me.

"You will learn, that you are mine, I say if and when you will die, as your maker I command you never to try and end yourself again."

I close my eyes as the command immediately takes away my desire to die, I am trapped I am just a puppet for this sadistic monster. I feel the burn of the blade once more and I pray for the sun to fully rise to end this torture.

**oooOOOooo**

_80 Years Later…_

We are in southern Europe, Italy I think; it has now been 130 years since I was turned into what I am, 130 years, 3 months, 2 weeks 1 day, 7 hours and 3 minutes since I became what I now am, I have lost count of the number of humans I have drunk from. I am slowly accepting what I have become, as I know I have no other choice in the matter. Ocella kept me on a tight leash, after my attempt to meet the sun sometimes in the literal sense, his sadistic barbaric 'training' knew no boundaries; nothing was too shocking for him.

I have met more of 'our kind' on our travels, Ocella seems to be well known and if I am not mistaken not well liked by other vampires, it appears he is merely tolerated rather than revered as he had lead me to believe on our journey here. He does have one 'friend' and that is a vampire who it appears shares his sire, and I met him along with his progeny, a female vampire called Thalia and we are now staying with them for a while. He is every bit as ruthless and sadistic as Ocella and some of the unspeakable things I have witnessed and participated in will live with me forever, and sadly I know that is a fact, as Ocella told me that I will have perfect recall for all eternity, and it appears that was no idle boast, I can recall my entire human life, including things which had previously faded into obscurity with time, crystal clear memories of my children and Aude still give me physical pain in my now silent heart, so I have learnt over the years not to dwell on that period of my life. I can also recall every hellish moment I have endured with Ocella, the relentless abuse of my body and mind, the humiliation, the punishment, the pain, but I am a north man, my will is strong and I will never allow him to break me, I will never be like him, I may be a vampire and I despise that fact, but I am not and never will be like him.

"Are you listening to me?" the female voice pulls me from my thoughts and l look across towards her.

"No" I reply coldly, I was aware she was talking to me but I was lost in my head and wasn't paying any attention to her.

"Look, you can either accept and embrace this life or you will go insane, it will twist you and unhinge you – but know this if it does and you do go insane, there will be no release for you, he won't put you down you know, it's not his way," she says and she moves closer to me.

I look at her "How long have you been… a vampire?" I ask.

I watch as the woman thinks, "it's coming up to 150 years, my sire assured me that I would be ready to be released after 200 years."

"Released?" I ask, I wonder what she means by that, how can you be released from being a vampire?

She smiles again, "Your maker will release you, eventually, so you can make your own way in the world, without having to rely on or stay with him, you will be free to make your own progeny and live your existence," she says almost reverently as if this is a good thing, something to aspire to.

I shake my head, "I didn't want to be what I am, and the thought of living eternally does not fill me with joy."

She glares at me and shakes her head, "Oh stop wallowing in self pity, embrace this life and lose the humanity or Ocella will never release you," she snaps viciously.

I freeze, and think over what she has said, and I stare at her, "Did you… were you turned against your will or did you ask for this life?" I ask, curious to find out more about this woman.

Thalia shakes her head, "I did not chose to become a vampire, very few humans do, it is considered an honour that a vampire chooses to bestow, after all, every human that is turned into a vampire is one less available food source, believe it or not I was like you at first, I was angry and bitter about losing my humanity and I rebelled, but after a brief period of adjustment I learnt to embrace it, see it for what it is, it is a blessing, you too can do that, you have it in you to do so, I have heard how strong willed the north men are," she pauses and looks hard at me.

"How long did it take you to accept what you had become?" I ask now genuinely interested.

Thalia shrugs, "Not too long, about 30 years, give or take, not as long as it seems to be taking you to do so, how long have you been a vampire now, 50 years?" she asks.

"130" I reply, surprised at her guess.

"Yet you still act like a newborn," she scoffs.

I glare at her and she laughs at me, " Well, you need to accept it, you can't change it, you need to come to terms with the fact you are dead to your humans, as they are now dead to you after this length of time, you are no longer in that world, you belong to the world of the night walkers you have already outlived your children and your children's children, we are at the top of the food chain, humans are weak and dispensable, they are our food, that is all they are good for, their life spans are laughably short, if you learn and accept the way you are, you have the ability to live forever, you are stronger, faster, sharper than you ever were as a human, so accept it and use it to your advantage, learn from Ocella, he and my master know what they are talking about they thrive on this life, yes they are sadistic and brutal and their teaching methods harsh and barbaric, but in their own way they are teaching us to survive, stop pining for what you can never go back to and look forward to what you can have, the possibilities are endless." She says almost dismissively, but what she has said seems to strike a chord with me.

I stop and think about that, really think about it and in that moment something shifts in my mind, if I stop dwelling on what I cannot change and embrace what I am, my sire will release me, he will let me leave him, that is all I really want, as I cannot abide him. I do not like this life but that has more to do with Ocella, than being a vampire, in that moment I decide that I will stop rebelling and fighting against my maker, I will learn all I can from him and forge my own path, my own destiny. Thalia is right, I need to embrace this life, I cannot alter what is past, so why keep fighting it, if I am to live forever then I should make the most of that eternity, so I will embrace it, I can do this I am a north man, a Viking… I _was_ a north man, I _was_ a Viking… I am a vampire.

**THE END**


End file.
